My kiddo ran her first 5k this weekend. She’s 4.25 years old, and she is awesome.
My friend Melissa came with us. Unfortunately for Nina, Melissa and I are probably the two most directionally-challenged people in N.C. We were a bit late.
Nina didn’t “get the gold” as she’d been planning, but she still kicked (my) ass.
*Nina’s mantra all the way to the race was “I’m going to get the gold…I’m going to get the gold…” I guess that’s what I should expect since we’re always watching televised marathons and Olympics track & field reruns. Had Nina actually been on time for the race, and won (which she most definitely would have – I saw the “competition” in her age division straggling over the finish line), she would have been sorely disappointed not to get a gold medal around her neck.
windycityvegan 
That smile is worth a million gold medals. Which race?
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It was in Duke forest, and was put on by the Lerner School. Lots and lots of hills! I think it’s my new favorite place to train.
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that is so flippin cute. that smile!!
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Isn’t it great? Sheer joy. I’m framing that picture with the bib number for her wall.
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I love that kid! She totally amazes me and I bet she still had energy to spare 🙂
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Ummm, yeah. And then some. At least she slept more than eight hours that night!
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I am so jealous of you and your kid! I mean.. WOW. she is running 5Ks already? Sorta makes me feel bad… I ran my first one about a month ago (and at a sucky pace too). Also, she is too cute.
My kid is still 2 months away from becoming my running partner (still to young to use the jogging stroller I got), but I really hope he will grow up to enjoy running with me. You are living my dream.
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Oh erosan, I am so so jealous of your soon-to-be experience with the jogging stroller! I still run with Nina in ours occasionally (it will hold her up to 75 pounds – eek!), but I’ll never get to relive the exhilaration of discovering jogging with her for the first time. You’re going to LOVE it, and so will your little D.
The way I see it, our children find pleasure in what they’re exposed to and how they are encouraged to spend their time. They don’t know any different yet! My husband and I are both outdoorsy (aside from living on a farm), so Nina has a natural inclination towards camping outdoors, trail running, and getting as muddy as possible. There may come a day when we’re driving he all over kingdom come to dance lessons or piano recitals, but at least we’ve laid a foundation for her to feel comfortable getting sand in her toes and dirt under her nails. If she’s anything like me, most likely as soon she’s able to read independently, she’ll have her nose glued in a book 24/7.
You know, my sister was telling a mutual friend about Nina’s race, and our friend (with two daughters, 5 and 3 years old) actually said “Oh my god isn’t that CHILD ABUSE?!” It just blows my mind the different perceptions everyone has. But my sister immediately replied back that if you think about how often kids that age run and run and jump and run, for an hour (or two) nonstop on the playground, they’re expending at least the same amount of energy as it takes to run 3.1 miles. It’s all relative. And at such a young age, our kids are just erupting with energy! I wish it was that easy for adults to run even half as far. 😉
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On the first race I attended, there was this kid — eight, maybe nine years old– that ran along his father and finished a 10K… child abuse didn’t crossed my mind, but ‘Bad-ass cool kid’ did. He was motivated and ran on his own will.
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